INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION – REVIEW 1

AIGA "50 BOOKS / 50 COVERS"

December 9th 2010 - April 11th 2011,
AIGA National Design Centre, 64 Fifth Avenue, New York

50 Books / 50 Covers selections are also published in AIGA’s online archives.

(click yellow link above to view exhibition)

The collection will also be preserved in the AIGA Design Archives at the Denver Art Museum in Colorado. In addition, selections from each year’s “50 Books/50 Covers” competition are housed in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University.

“AIGA Design Archives is one of the richest online resources available to those who practice, study and appreciate great design. It represents the quality of work being created, as well as shifting aesthetics and sensibilities of the designers of the day.”

REVIEW

AIGA’s “50 Books/50 Covers” is a competition resulting in an annual exhibition that recognises excellence in book design and production. This exhibition showcases the best-designed books and book covers published in 2009, as selected by a distinguished jury that includes David Drummond (Salamander Hill Design, Quebec), Paul Kepple (Headcase Design, Philadelphia), Peter Mendelsund (Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, New York), Molly Renda (North Carolina State University, Raleigh) and Tracey Shiffman (Shiffman & Kohnke, Los Angeles).

The exhibition design that frames this collection has visual impact but is, in a few respects at least, problematic. The height of the display benches relative to the viewer seems too low; the tiered benches, upon which the books sit, lack adequate depth so that the books overhang (and no doubt fall off as viewers on a higher tier brush past); and, while the exhibits may be picked up and held, the layout relies on the careful return of books to the benches by each viewer - the integrity of the display becoming compromised with careless placement. Finally, there is no seating provided for a comfortable browse or a thoughtful ponder, this is book exhibition after all and the hardness of the exhibition environment is a deal breaker for me.

The online exhibition space however is a far more successfully designed environment. The content is presented in a distinct way, with narratives that place it in context and explain its relevance. The user interface for the display and navigation of the exhibits is intuitive and offers the viewer 4 viewing options (from thumbnails of sliding scale, to multiple views of the key exhibits and their accompanying descriptions from the designers and even comments from the juror/curators). In addition there is a listing of the industry sectors from which the projects have been drawn and a geographical breakdown of the design studios involved in their making. It’s well considered and thorough. A gold star moment certainly.

This is a very full and expansive body of work with 100 individual projects on show, and with many featuring multiple samples of the book layout within the online exhibition environment. The most noteworthy element that immediately strikes the viewer is the sheer variety of styles encompassed here. While a number of design studios have numerous submissions (Rodrigo Corral have 10, Phoenix Color Corporation showing 6 for example) the fact is, of course, that even within the same design studio we are presented with wide variation of styles depending on the nature of the brief and the subject matter of the book itself. The restraint in the execution of the exhibition and the pacing afforded by the on line show, help to unify the large variety of differing design styles included, and provide unmediated access to the work.

It is in this wonderful variety that the richness of the experience of this exhibition emerges, with everything from modernist-made-new – see “F1984T2008”, by Golden Tree, Korea, (exhibit 30), to the poetic expression of designs such as “30 Beautiful Everyday Sounds” by Why Not Smile, New York (exhibit 98). This is an exhibition that reframes notions of conceptual design, modernist restraint, rich exuberance and measured formatting.

The viewer is presented with a body of work where elegantly set text partners with succinct imagery, and where radical, sometimes fierce, sometimes sober, typography is married with imaginative and engaging communication. It is all artfully blended together to create a unified whole. There is a smart sense of flow to the curation and the result is a visual delight that is accessible, engaging and not in the least bit precious – just as it should be given the nature of the items on show.

There are a few exhibits which are, for this viewer, noteworthy in their sheer excellence.
“Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types” (exhibit 97) by Werner Design Werks Inc. is a joy to behold and quite literally sent me running to Amazon to snap it up. The book features illustrations of ‘beasties’ created using the letterform their name begins with - so far so clever - but in addition to this, at the bottom of each page, there is a charming letter guide that demonstrates great understanding of the end user – a curious and observant child. Here we are artfully informed that “a lowercase ‘a' can be a ball and stick” or that “a lowercase ‘a’ can wear a little hood”. As the mother of an eager to learn 4 year old this is simple genius that clearly explains this typographic anomaly. Alphabeasties shows children that typography can be fun and that “although a Clarendon 'g' looks completely different from a Futura 'g', they both make the same g sound”. This book also features die cuts and foldouts that ensure children engage with it and have fun as they learn and discover.

“Ideas + Buildings Vol. 02: Perspective-Global Context” (exhibit 58) designed by Perkins + Will, Atlanta, Georgia is the second in a series of books that showcases 20 of the firms’ projects and aims to communicate the cultural inspirations that shape their work, and indeed the culture of the firm itself. The result is a book that possesses true graphic sensibilities, where aesthetics meet functionality with impeccable aplomb. The discerning typographic treatments are a lesson in ‘how to’ for the uninitiated, with sleek styling, effective font choices and bold sizing of elements such as the section numbers. From its information design elements, to its kicking colour palate, to its bold imagery this is a success on so many levels. Its designer, Mimi Day, has considered every box – and wholeheartedly and creatively ticked each one.

There is a catalogue for artist "Shelagh Keeley", designed by Underline Studio, Toronto, (exhibit 88) that I also feel merits special mention. In addition to the beautiful typography and layout, the catalogue features a cover that is nearly 40 inches in length, which the reader is required to unwrap in order to reveal the essays and the artwork within. This echoes beautifully the artists major work – an almost 10 meter long painting.

This is a hugely enjoyable exhibition and competently demonstrates the breath of current design practice in this field. What is a little disappointing is the degree of bias towards US based design firms. While the work of some Asian and European studios feature, there is a degree of absence here and this does take from the international flavour of the exhibition. The AIGA is an American organisation and all but one juror are also American so perhaps a degree of preference is enevitable, if a little shortsighted.

In an age of digital publishing, of websites, e-readers and electronic papers it is easy to get distracted or diverted, and there is still something indescribably wonderful about opening a book. A traditionally printed and published book is indeed an artefact – the crack of the spine as the binding flexes, the smell of the freshly printed ink, the paper, the typography – all contribute to the readers experience of the content. This exhibition is testament to an industry that “stoically avoids the regular rumours of its demise… the process of making books – with worthwhile text, good typography and inspiring covers – still lives.” (John L Walters). All in all, the AIGA’s commitment to “using selections from its annual competitions to demonstrate the process of design, the role of the designer, and the value of design to business, culture and society at large” has been evidenced in this show and the result is an exhibition that glows as brightly as the monitor it was viewed on!